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Date:      Thu, 30 Sep 2010 10:35:50 -0400
From:      Paul Mather <paul@gromit.dlib.vt.edu>
To:        Nathan Whitehorn <nwhitehorn@freebsd.org>
Cc:        freebsd-ppc@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: New powerpc64 snapshot
Message-ID:  <4F8FD6BE-4005-49A5-9A90-09ED952CC0EC@gromit.dlib.vt.edu>
In-Reply-To: <4C9E0AA7.8030400@freebsd.org>
References:  <20100910173536.01c43656@anacreon.physics.wisc.edu> <1321084E-3EA7-4FAB-8010-4BA98598074E@gromit.dlib.vt.edu> <4C9E0AA7.8030400@freebsd.org>

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On Sep 25, 2010, at 10:43 AM, Nathan Whitehorn wrote:

> On 09/21/10 22:36, Paul Mather wrote:
>> On Sep 10, 2010, at 6:35 PM, Nathan Whitehorn wrote:
>>=20
>>> I have built a new powerpc64 snapshot that should have a more
>>> functional installer and not have disk-detection problems on some
>>> models of G5 Powermac. This snapshot can be found at
>>> =
http://people.freebsd.org/~nwhitehorn/FreeBSD-9.0-20100910-SNAP-powerpc64
>>>=20
>>> Installation directions are the same as for 32-bit PowerPC:
>>> http://people.freebsd.org/~nwhitehorn/ppcinstall.txt
>>>=20
>>> SMP is also now in the default powerpc64 kernel configuration, =
thanks
>>> to Peter Grehan.
>>=20
>> I just tried this snapshot but did not have much luck installing.
>>=20
>> I am trying to install on a headless Xserve G5 via a serial console.
>> I can boot the CD from OpenFirmware and enter the installer. I then =
drop
>> into the Fixit shell but cannot successfully complete any =
partitioning
>> via gpart. Commands like "gpart show" will display the existing
>> partition table, but any gpart command that affects the partition =
table
>> (gpart delete; gpart add; etc.) will not complete (coincidentally, =
the
>> fan seems to start racing then, too). The system isn't hung because
>> CTRL-C will bring me back to sysinstall.
>=20
> There isn't any fan control at present (although this should be
> committed soon), so the fan doesn't have anything to do with it. It
> sounds like you found a gpart bug, so maybe Marcel has some ideas. One
> thing you could try is to remove the previous partition map with gpart
> destroy and than make a new one with gpart create.

I didn't mention it explicitly above, but I did try "gpart destroy ad0" =
but it behaved similar to the other partition-affecting gpart commands I =
tried (add, delete, etc.) in that the command just appeared to hang =
around and not complete and return to the shell prompt.  It didn't =
destroy the partition, as I was able to reboot back into Mac OS X.

>> I currently have Mac OS X 10.5 on this system, and would like to
>> replace it with FreeBSD/powerpc64. Has anyone done this successfully, =
or
>> have any hints about what I may be missing?
>=20
> It worked fine for me, but I was using a fresh disk. Removing the
> existing partition map, or trying with a fresh SATA disk, might help.

I have a spare external firewire drive that I will try again with, and =
hopefully be able to test out FreeBSD/powerpc64 that way (without having =
to blow away Mac OS X first, too, which is a plus).  I have had troubles =
there, too, but that is a subject for another posting.

>=20
>> Oh, and is it possible to change the OpenFirmware serial console
>> speed to something lower than 57600? I have an IBM 3151 TTY (with =
VT100
>> personality card) I'd like to use as a permanently-attached serial
>> console but it only goes up to 19200 in its setup options. :-(
>=20
> This one I have no idea. You can change it in FreeBSD, of course, but
> that doesn't affect OF.

Unfortunately, "printenv" didn't appear to show any obvious =
speed-related OF variables.  I do have a USB-to-serial device that =
works, but that means I have to lug a laptop to where the Xserve G5 is, =
which is less convenient.

Cheers,

Paul.=



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